1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical switching apparatus and, more particularly, to adapters for mounting circuit breakers in an enclosure. The invention further relates to enclosure assemblies for mounting and positioning electrical switching apparatus.
2. Background Information
Electrical equipment (e.g., without limitation, relays; circuit breakers; meters; transformers) is often housed within an enclosure, such as, for example and without limitation, a switchgear cabinet, a panelboard, or a load center.
Such enclosures often house a plurality of electrical switching apparatus, such as, for example, circuit breakers. For example, some circuit breakers are typically disposed in parallel rows with one or more bus bars extending between the rows and interconnecting pairs of opposing circuit breakers disposed on opposite sides of the bus bar. Space is usually at a premium within the enclosure and, therefore, greatly limits the location and type of mounting of the circuit breakers. To conserve space, various circuit breakers are typically coupled either to a DIN rail or directly to the back panel of the panelboard. DIN is short for Deutsches Insitut für Normung eV, which is a standard-setting organization for Germany. Accordingly, a DIN rail is a connecting rail structure which is designed to satisfy DIN standards. More specifically, some manufacturers of circuit breakers provide the circuit breaker with a DIN rail mounting structure, such as an integrally molded recess sized to provide snap-on attachment to the DIN rail. Thus, in designs where the circuit breaker is coupled to the DIN rail, the entire DIN rail assembly must be moved to make available adjustments, if any, while in other designs, a separate stationary adapter is incorporated for securing the circuit breaker directly to the back panel of the enclosure and no adjustment is possible.
Accordingly, among the disadvantages of the aforementioned designs is the fact that they either do not permit the circuit breaker to be adjusted with respect to the back panel of the enclosure or with respect to the one or more bus bars in the enclosure assembly, or they require the entire DIN rail assembly to be moved in order to effectuate adjustment. This makes it difficult to install, exchange, remove, and/or adjust different circuit breakers within the enclosure. For example, it is often desirable to be able to mount a variety of different types of circuit breakers in the same panelboard, including IEC circuit breakers which are certified by the International Electrotechnical Commission, and NEMA circuit breakers which are certified by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. Understandably, the shape and size of a given IEC circuit breaker are often different from those of the counterpart NEMA circuit breaker. Consequently, different mounting challenges are presented.
There is, therefore, room for improvement in adapters for mounting electrical switching apparatus, and in enclosure assemblies having adapters for mounting electrical switching apparatus.